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1995–96 Detroit Red Wings season
The 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings season was the Detroit Red Wings' 64th season in the NHL. The Red Wings completed the season in 1st place in the Western Conference & the Central Division with a record of 63-13-7; their home record was 36-3-2 and their road record was 26-10-5. Season Overall With their 62 wins, the Detroit Red Wings eclipsed the all-time record of most regular-season wins, which had been set at 60 by the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens. Their 131 points during the regular season were the most since the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens accumulated 132 points (still an all-time record), surpassing most of that year's NBA season win records, the 64–18 Seattle SuperSonics and the 72–10 Chicago Bulls being the only outliers. The Red Wings had two winning streaks of nine games, and had a 13–game unbeaten streak from Sunday, March 3, 1996, to Sunday, March 31, going 12–0–1 during that stretch. Having the best record in the league, the Red Wings were awarded the Presidents' Trophy. During the 1995–96 regular season, the Red Wings were the only team to score at least one goal in all 82 of its games. While the Red Wings are remembered for its record-breaking regular season, it experienced disappointment in the playoffs. Detroit lost five games to Winnipeg and St. Louis, both teams that failed to get above 80 points in the regular season, including having to go to a decisive game 7 against St. Louis. They were ultimately upset by Colorado, winning only two of the six games in the series, and failed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Off-season In September of 1995, the former 1974 draft pick and attorney Bill Evo was appointed president the Detroit Red Wings. Regular Season On November 28, 1995, the Montreal Canadiens were playing the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The day before the game, Mario Tremblay spoke to Mario Leclerc of Le Journal de Montreal. Tremblay mentioned that he was resentful of current Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman. He had played under Bowman for the first five years of his NHL career, and Tremblay told Leclerc that Bowman always threatened to send him to the minors. When Leclerc approached Cournoyer, he stated that he did not want to speak about Bowman. The Canadiens lost the game by a score of 3–2. The next day, Le Journal de Montreal had a headline that stated, "Bowman has the last word." On December 2, 1995, the Red Wings played at the Montreal Forum and dealt Tremblay's Montreal Canadiens their worst home game in franchise history, with an 11–1 win. The Habs' star goaltender Patrick Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots (five in the first period, and then another four in the second period), and the crowd jeered him whenever he made an easy save during the second period after the game was already 7–1 in favor of the Red Wings. In response, Roy raised his arms in mock celebration. When Head Coach Mario Tremblay finally pulled Roy in the middle of the second period in favor of Pat Jablonski (who allowed two more goals), Roy stormed past him and told Canadiens President Ronald Corey, "It's my last game in Montreal." Tremblay was roundly criticized for the goaltender decision, as it violated an unwritten rule where a star goaltender was not taken out of the game on an off-night. After that game, Roy was traded to the Colorado Avalanche and he played a key role in eliminating the Red Wings during the Western Conference Finals, precipitating the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry. In a game against the Hartford Whalers on March 6, 1996, Chris Osgood became the third goaltender in NHL history to score a goal. On March 22, 1996, the Red Wings scored three short-handed goals in a 7–0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The Red Wings finished first in wins (62), points (131), tied the Washington Capitals for most shutouts (9), allowed the fewest goals (181), the fewest even-strength goals (128), the fewest power-play goals (44) and had the best penalty-kill percentage (88.27%). Team Leaders *Goals: Sergei Fedorov (39) *Assists: Sergei Fedorov (68) *Points Sergei Fedorov (107) *Penalty minutes: Keith Primeau (168) *Plus/minus Vladimir Konstantinov (+60) *Wins: Chris Osgood (39) *Goals against average: Kevin Hodson (1.10) Playoffs In the first round of the playoffs, the Red Wings defeated the eighth-place Winnipeg Jets marking the Jets' final games in Winnipeg as the franchise relocated to Phoenix, Arizona following their playoff defeat. The Wings then defeated the fifth-place St. Louis Blues in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, the Red Wings were ousted in six games by the Colorado Avalanche, who were in the first year after moving from Quebec. These two teams started the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry, which lasted nearly a decade. Transactions August 17, 1995 *The Detroit Red Wings acquired Marc Bergevin & Ben Hankinson from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Shawn Burr & round 3 pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. October 24, 1995 *The Detroit Red Wings acquired Igor Larionov and a conditional draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ray Sheppard March 20, 1996 *The Detroit Red Wings acquired Kirk Maltby from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Dan McGillis Draft Picks Category:Detroit Red Wings seasons